Oh Hey There Minted.

I have been crushing on Minted for a long time. When they reached out to see if I would be interested in a sponsored post, I jumped at the chance because their company is one of my favorites and their products are just too gorgeous not to share! Minted is a marketplace of independent artists who create and submit designs for all your paper necessities… everything from wedding invitations to limited edition art prints and paper party decor. Minted has it all! Being an art lover myself, I think it's a fabulous company and a great way to showcase and support artists. The public is welcome to vote and submit for free! <-- LOVE this!

It’s easy to lose track of time while exploring their site – they have so many options! I’m especially fond of Minted's save the date cards. Wedding fever is catching among our friends... every time we open our mailbox it seems that another couple is tying the knot!  I was recently the MOH for my best friend Shan and she decided on these beautiful Minted wedding invitations. They were perfect for her garden wedding! I recommend Minted to any of my bride-to-be friends who are searching for their save-the-dates and wedding invitations. You can’t go wrong!

Yes, Minted is the dream one-stop-shop for all your wedding paper needs, but they are so much bigger than just weddings. I really enjoy Minted's personalized stationery, day planners and journals – helpful items to get your family organized with the new school year fast approaching. And photo calendars are a beautiful way to display some special moments throughout the year.

Gawwww I love this personal stationery ^

A few more things Minted offers ^^^

P.S. Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas cards? I am falling for these! 

***All pictures come from Minted***

DIY Chanel Vase

Ahhh one of my favorites. Coco Mademoiselle smells so good. Yes I used all of it, but couldn't part with this beautiful little bottle. So why not fill my home with my favorites, right? I thought it would be fun to repurpose this bottle into a small bud vase. 

Here's What You'll Need:

Empty glass bottle

Eye protection

Gloves

Mask

Marker

Water in a squeeze bottle (I actually used an empty Sriracha bottle)

Dremel Hand Tool

Diamond Wheel

How To:

-Put on your eye protection, gloves, and mask...working with glass dust can be dangerous, especially if you're a newbie! So make sure you're suited up.

-Use a marker to draw a guide line around the bottle.

-Lay your bottle on its side.

-Turn on your Dremel tool with the diamond wheel and start cutting along the marked line.

-***You'll need and extra pair of hands to squirt a few drops of water on the blade while you cut (don't get water above the attachment site on the Dremel). This will help prevent the glass from heating up and fracturing. Always keep the cut line wet.

-Go over your cut line a few times -- gradually getting deeper into the glass until it cracks off.  Keep the cut even around the whole bottle. Cut a little at a time on each side. 

-After the top is off, you'll want to clean up the sharp edges with your diamond blade. Make sure it's smooth and safe.

DIY Sunburst Mirror

So I've been drooling over this sunburst mirror for a few years now. All the mirrors that I like are way out of my price range {such as this one}. Why in the world is this mirror $449!? I dunno. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make one myself. Here's what you'll need.

Shopping list:

10" mirror {I got mine at Target for $12.99}

metallic gold spray paint {Michael's $4}

3 packs of shish kabob sticks {Target 99¢ each}

E6000 glue {$2 Michael's}

scissors or clippers

glue gun {already had -->not pictured}

Total cost = around $22

Directions:

- cut your shish kabob sticks into various lengths. I cut around 60-5" sticks, 40-6" sticks, 40-7" sticks and 20- 8" sticks {place in separate labeled piles so they'll be easy to grab when you start the pattern} 

-Fire up your hot glue gun and turn you mirror face down.

-I started by lining up 4 of the 8" sticks with the lines on the front of the mirror. Dab a pea-size amount of hot glue on each point on the backside of the mirror 1/2" from the edge. Place each stick accordingly. 

-start the pattern {see below}

-Once complete, squeeze E6000 glue over the sticks to seal any weak spots that the hot glue gun may have missed.

-Let the glue dry overnight

-spray paint everything the next day {be sure to cover the mirror}

easy as that...

Pattern ^

8", 7", 6", 5", 5", 5", 6", 7", 8"...

DIY Sharpie Mug {Breaking Bad}

We were OBSSESED with the Breaking Bad series. Dan was so sad when it ended, I thought I could cheer him up with a daily reminder of his favorite character Heisenberg. Now he feels like a bada$$ when he drinks his morning coffee.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 ceramic mug
-Sharpie (I also used a Sharpie paint pen)
-Oven

You can draw anything you want! Pop that mug into the oven at 350F for 40 minutes and your Sharpie design will stay put!

DIY Striped Garden Pot

Easy. Easy. Easy.

 

 

{Step One}

Use masking tape to tape around your pot. Spray with spray paint. I used a glossy black. Use whatever color your heart desires. Place a piece of cardboard under your pot to keep things clean while spraying.

 

{Step 2}

One more coat of spray paint. Make sure you spray inside the rim up to soil level.

{Step 3}

Let it dry and then peel off that tape! Touch-up any uneven places with a paintbrush. You can spray your spray paint into a piece of crumpled newspaper -- it will hold a nice little puddle that you can use a touch-up paint.

 

Garden Station DIY Wooden Pallets

I have the best Hubby ever. Dan made me a gardening station for my potted plants and tools. I love that he used recycled wooden pallets... so eco-friendly of you Dan! He even made a shelf for my planter boxes and storage for soil and pots underneath. He was the handyman and I was the painter. I also had some fun arranging a few of our star lamps to make the space extra special {Dan wanted me to move them from our umbrella because someone kept hitting their head on them ha-ha}. Yay for team effort. Another DIY successfully completed. I just love him :) What a thoughtful guy!

{Before}

{After}

Fire Pit {Before and After}

 

We love fixing up things that need a little TLC.  My mom gave us a hand-me-down fire pit for our backyard. I am in love with fireplaces and since our little house is lacking one, I jumped at the chance for an outside one. The metal screens on the side had rusted through and needed to be replaced, so I thought a perforated metal sheet would do the trick. Now all I need to do is put some elbow grease into that copper top to make it shine...or do the easy thing and paint it black ;)

 



 

 

 

 



Soapstone Pencils

 

I ran across some marvelous little soapstone pencils at Crate & Barrel last week. I bought 3 and tried them out on our chalkboard at home. Too cool. They are so much easier to use than the regular bulky chalk. They give you smooth fine lines and leave less dust. So much better.

 

 

Backyard Shed Before & After

Dan and I have been renting a little one bedroom house during our first year of marriage. We absolutely love the place, but it has needed some TLC here and there. We asked our landlord if we could  touch-up a few things around the property...like this here shed. Not to shabby huh? I think we did a good job! A little paint and masking tape can do magical things.

 

Awesome DIY Oxford Shoes

Check out these cute DIY oxford shoes! I can't wait to make some! I found this picture on duitang -- a wonderful Chinese website. Thanks for letting me share the idea.

Wedding Dress Necklace

Showcase a piece of your wedding dress lace on a necklace; it serves as a token of one of the most important days of your life and a reminder of the reasons you love your lovey. This makes me smile. If you don't have the time to make it yourself, The Lace Studio will make it for you! What a beautiful idea Liz Carter! She also has her own site at thelacestudio.com

Picture by: Liz Carter

Wedding Dress Necklace

Showcase a piece of your wedding dress lace on a necklace; it serves as a token of one of the most important days of your life and a reminder of the reasons you love your lovey. This makes me smile. If you don't have the time to make it yourself, The Lace Studio will make it for you! What a beautiful idea Liz Carter! She also have her own site at thelacestudio.com

Picture by: Liz Carter

DIY: Glitter Dipped Mason Jars

This is a cute idea...
 

1. Cover half of your mason jar with paper (tape down the edge of the paper to get a smooth line) 

2. Spray or paint the other half of the jar with clear glue

3. Dip in glitter 

4. Peel of tape and paper

5. After glue dries, brush off excess glitter 

 

 

 Picture via (thesweetestoccasion) 

 

DIY: Tree Branch Lamp

These lamps are gorgeous! When I get a free weekend, I'll be making one of my own! Here's how I would break this down into a simple DIY project.

You will need

1. A Birch Branch

2. A wooden disc to use as a stand for the lamp * make sure that your disc is large enough to support your lamp, depending upon how tall your birch branch is. These wooden circles can usually be found at your local craft store or Home Depot.

3. Light bulb and cord can be found at any home improvement store such as, Home Depot, Lowe's, ACE Hardware etc.

4. Lamp Shade. Pick your style!

5. Assembling Tools

Power drill and screw driver, drill and screw bits, wood glue and screws.

 

Have fun my friends! Let me know if you make one of your own. I would love to see pictures!

Pictures: Tree Branch Lamp, Round Wooden Disc, Lamp Shade, DeWalt, DeWalt Bits, Wood Glue, Screws